File Viewer
A File Viewer in Salesforce is a user or group granted read-only access to a Salesforce File.
Definition
A File Viewer in Salesforce is a user or group granted read-only access to a Salesforce File. Viewers can view, download, and comment on the file but cannot edit, delete, change sharing, or upload new versions. Viewer is the most restrictive sharing tier, sitting below Collaborator (read+edit) and Owner (full control). The ShareType field on ContentDocumentLink uses V to indicate Viewer permission.
File Viewer is the right permission for read-only audiences: customers reviewing a contract, executives viewing a finalized report, partners consuming reference documentation. They need to see and download the file, but the file authors and Collaborators retain control over edits. Viewer access is also common when sharing through records: users with record access often inherit Viewer-level access to attached files unless the link explicitly specifies Collaborator.
How File Viewer permissions work
Viewer rights versus restrictions
Viewers can view the file (preview or full), download it to their device, add comments and annotations. Viewers cannot edit metadata, upload new versions, change sharing settings, or delete the file. They cannot transfer ownership; the file Owner retains those rights exclusively.
How Viewer status is granted
Add a ContentDocumentLink with ShareType=V. This happens through the Share dialog (selecting Viewer in the permission picker), through Apex (DML insert), or through record sharing. Users with record access often inherit Viewer access automatically; explicit Viewer links override this for specific users.
Viewer access from record sharing
When a file is linked to a record (Account, Opportunity, Case), users with read access to that record inherit Viewer access to the file. This is the most common way Viewer access propagates: a customer Account record shared with the customer''s Contact gives the Contact Viewer access to the linked files.
Group-based Viewer access
Public Groups can be added as Viewers. Every group member inherits Viewer access to the file. Group-based sharing is the standard pattern for team-wide read-only distribution: a Marketing Group with Viewer access to brand guidelines gives every marketing user read-only visibility.
Downgrade from Collaborator to Viewer
Changing a ContentDocumentLink''s ShareType from C to V downgrades a Collaborator to a Viewer. The user loses edit and upload-new-version rights but retains view and download. Useful for transitioning a project from editing phase to read-only review phase.
Viewer audit and reporting
Salesforce logs Viewer download actions in the file activity. Reports on ContentVersionHistory and ContentDistribution surface who downloaded what when. For compliance use cases, the audit trail is foundational for proving who saw which file.
Public Link Viewers and the Public on the Web state
Beyond Viewer, files can be shared via Public Links (anyone with the link views, no Salesforce login required). This is a different mechanism: Public Links bypass user-based sharing and grant unauthenticated access. Use Public Links sparingly for compliance-sensitive content.
How to add a Viewer to a Salesforce File
Adding a Viewer is a one-click action in the file Share dialog. Multiple Viewers can be added at once; group-based additions scale to large teams.
- Open the file
Navigate to the file in the Files tab or on a record page. Click the file to open it.
- Click Share
On the file detail page, click Share. The Share dialog opens.
- Add user or group as Viewer
Type a user or group name to search. Select. Pick Viewer from the permission dropdown. Click Add.
- Save
Click Done. The ContentDocumentLink record is created with ShareType=V. The user can now view and download but not edit.
- Verify the access level
Optionally Login As the new Viewer (or test with a real user) to confirm they can open the file but cannot edit it.
- Adjust as needed
To grant edit access later, change the ShareType to C (Collaborator). To remove access entirely, delete the ContentDocumentLink.
Read-only access. View, download, comment. No edit.
Add a Public Group as Viewer; every member inherits read-only access.
Users with record access automatically get Viewer-level file access when a file is linked to the record.
Library membership at the Viewer permission level grants read-only access to all Library files.
- Viewers can download the file. Read-only does not prevent the file from leaving Salesforce; for stronger control, use Salesforce Files Sync or DLP integration.
- Record-inherited Viewer access can be unexpected. A file linked to a widely-shared record gives Viewer access to everyone with record access.
- Comments by Viewers are still visible to all who can see the file. Sensitive Viewer comments may leak unintended information.
- Downgrading from Collaborator to Viewer is reversible but visible to the user. They lose edit access immediately; communicate the change if it affects their workflow.
Trust & references
Straight from the source - Salesforce's reference material on File Viewer.
- File Sharing OverviewSalesforce Help
About the Author
Dipojjal Chakrabarti is a B2C Solution Architect with 29 Salesforce certifications and over 13 years in the Salesforce ecosystem. He runs salesforcedictionary.com to help admins, developers, architects, and cert/interview candidates sharpen their fundamentals. More about Dipojjal.
Test your knowledge
Q1. What does File Viewer do?
Q2. What file types does File Viewer support?
Q3. What's a security benefit of previewing instead of downloading?
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